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Boaters on some central Minnesota lakes this weekend will need to slow down due to high water caused by significant rainfall in June.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office enacted a temporary no-wake rule on several lakes, which will last up to 30 days. They include the entire Sauk River Chain of Lakes west of St. Cloud, as well as Two Rivers Lake near Holdingford, Long and Crooked lakes near Clearwater, Rice Lake near Paynesville and North Brown's and Big lakes near Richmond.

The rule requires all watercraft users to avoid creating a wake within 300 feet of shore.

Meeker County also issued a no-wake restriction with 300 feet from shore on Arvilla, Big Swan, Erie, Minnie Belle, Manuella, Star and any other lake that is at or above the lake’s ordinary high-water level. It will remain in effect through July 30.

No-wake rules are often controversial. In a news release, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office said it realizes the restrictions likely will affect many people wanting to boat and wakesurf on lakes over the Fourth of July weekend. 

But especially in high water conditions, boat wakes can cause shoreline erosion and property damage.

Richard Gallea, president of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes Association, said property owners have mixed feelings about the restrictions. 

“It's kind of nice to not have the boat traffic, particularly on a holiday, just buzzing like crazy,” he said. “It causes everybody to just slow down and putt.”

On the other hand, the restrictions can be an inconvenience to grandparents planning to tow their grandkids on tubes and others hoping to enjoy the lakes this weekend, Gallea said. Because the Sauk River Chain of Lakes is long and narrow, the 300-foot no-wake rule effectively covers a significant portion of the chain.

Gallea said the lake levels are higher than normal, but not nearly as high as in 2023, when no-wake restrictions were last in effect.

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Kirsti Marohn

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The 30-day rule adopted by Stearns and Meeker counties requires all watercraft users to avoid creating a wake within 300 feet of shore on certain lakes.

A silver and white wakeboat on the water. 

Amid high water, central Minnesota counties restrict boat wakes to protect shorelines

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